Children's home run by North Tyneside Council in North Tyneside

Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 1 SC038564 Registered provider: North Tyneside Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides short-term care for up to five children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2003.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living at the home. The inspector met all the children and spoke to two of them at this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 11 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/09/2023 Full Good 07/11/2022 Full Good 31/08/2021 Full Good 01/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from predictable care from a consistent staff team. This helps children to quickly develop trusting relationships with staff who care for them. Children say that they like living at the home and enjoy spending time with staff. Children are encouraged to share their views about the home and their choice of activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans are individualised and consider children’s past experiences and trauma. This helps staff to understand and respond to children’s needs. Plans are reviewed and updated regularly so that staff can continue to meet children’s changing needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children attend an education provision and staff actively encourage learning opportunities. Some children who have previously been out of education are attending full time and making academic progress. This has allowed them to complete relevant qualifications and progress to further education. This increases children’s educational attainment and future life opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children do not have an education provision, the manager advocates on behalf of them. Additionally, the manager carefully balances the need for a school placement and the need for the correct provision that will meet the child’s needs now and in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children attend volunteering opportunities in local charity shops. Children develop a work ethic and gain an understanding of social issues. Additionally, children’s self- confidence and independent skills improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of relationships with family, friends, and previous carers. They support children to spend time with these people who are important to them. One child is helped to maintain a friendship with a child who has recently moved out of the home. Staff welcome friends and family into the home if appropriate. This helps children to maintain relationships that can form their support network now and in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children are welcomed into the home in a planned and child-centred way. Staff make efforts to visit the child before they move into the home. This helps the new child to build positive relationships as soon as possible and helps to reduce some of the anxiety a move can bring. When children need to move into the home quickly, the manager gathers information and considers how staff can meet their needs. This helps to provide individualised care from the beginning of the child’s stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves out of the home are inconsistent. Some children move out of the home with detailed plans and support. However, some children move with less preparation and planning. One example involved a child moving to another local authority home. The manager was not able to evidence the transition plan for the child during the inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 4

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding about risks to the children. Children’s risk assessments are regularly reviewed and are individualised. They provide directions to the staff about what action to take to keep each child as safe as possible. Children say that they feel safe at the home and can identify staff members that they trust.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Positive behaviour is promoted in the home. Staff understand de-escalation strategies and the value of the relationship between themselves and the children. This means that children are rarely physically held. Some children thrive on incentives and rewards, which is a motivator for them to reach their personalised goals. This gives children a sense of pride and achievement.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff know what to do when children go missing from the home. However, records of incidents when children are missing from home do not always record what actions staff have taken to find the child. This means the manager cannot be reassured that staff are following the child’s plan or the missing from home procedure.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When bullying incidents happen in the home, staff take decisive action to manage the incident. Staff listen to children’s views and feelings and develop solutions to repair relationships where possible.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand the risks around internet safety and make efforts to complete regular checks of children’s electronic devices. Consequently, staff have intervened and identified risks to children. Staff follow safeguarding procedures to keep children safer. When the manager is concerned about children’s safety in the community, he shares information with multi-agency professionals to help reduce the risk.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When the manager identifies that another service’s practice falls below the expected safeguarding standards, he takes prompt action. The manager is a strong advocate for children and raises formal complaints to organisations if needed. This helps children to see that their safety and well-being is important.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager completes a compatibility assessment when a child moves into the home. However, for some children, not all their risks are included and carefully balanced against other children who live in the home. The shortfall in the compatibility assessments means some risks between children are not fully explored before children live together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a dedicated and knowledgeable manager. He is supported by two deputies who share the same values and ethos of the home. The manager completes assessments to consider children’s next home and has a sound understanding of the importance of permanence for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 5 Children benefit from a stable staff team, which means that children know the adults well who are caring for them. There is not a reliance on agency staff. The management team knows the staff well and recognises strengths and areas of challenge for some staff. Staff say that they feel valued and supported by the management team. Staff say that they enjoy working at the home and describe a well-coordinated staff team which creates a cohesive environment in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions. Records are child-focused and discuss children’s needs and any safeguarding concerns. Staff have completed mandatory training and the manager monitors when refresher training is needed. This helps to ensure that staff are suitably experienced and knowledgeable to care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is held in high regard by staff and professionals. Feedback from professionals and family members is positive. Communication with partner agencies is effective and helps to provide continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring and oversight of the home is inconsistent. Staff complete discussions with children to help them understand risks. The manager uses audits to track the frequency of the sessions. However, the manager does not monitor the topics or efficacy of the direct work. This means that the manager cannot be reassured that children receive the educative support that they need to help them make progress. Additionally, this prevents the manager from identifying additional topics that would benefit the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is large and spacious. Children can spend time together in the games room or relax in the living areas. The home needs maintenance and updating to create a more homely feel. One child said that the home is ‘like an office,’ referring to the carpets, doors, and appearance of the home. The managers understand that this is a priority for the home and there is a corporate plan to address this. However, the recommendation made at the last inspection has not been met as there have been no changes to the home. Therefore, a requirement has been issued in response to this shortfall. Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet The Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii)) 1 December 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs and risks, and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. This specifically relates to compatibility risk assessments. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 56, paragraph 11.4) Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 7  The registered person should ensure that when children are missing from home or care, staff record all actions taken to help locate the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 45, paragraph 9.25)  The registered person should ensure that staff help children to prepare for moves from the home. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and

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Recommendations

mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting, and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure that effective monitoring systems are in place to oversee the welfare and progress of children in their care. In particular, to monitor the effectiveness of support provided to children through direct work. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under The Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Tyneside Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Quadrant East, Cobalt Offices, 15b-15c The Silverlink North, North Tyneside NE27 0BY

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Inspector

Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 9 and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 10

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